Swimming in the Dark: A Novel
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Swimming in the Dark: A Novel Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Tomasz Jedrowski (Author), Will M. Watt (Narrator), HarperAudio (Publisher)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 3,730 ratings
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"Imagine Call Me by Your Name set in Communist Poland and you'll get a sense of Jedrowski's moving debut about a consuming love affair amidst a country being torn apart." (O Magazine, LGBTQ Books That'll Change the Literary Landscape in 2020)

"Captivating both for its shimmering surfaces and its terrifying depths. Tomasz Jedrowski is a remarkable writer." (Justin Torres, best-selling author of We the Animals)

Set in early 1980s Poland against the violent decline of communism, a tender and passionate story of first love between two young men who eventually find themselves on opposite sides of the political divide - a stunningly poetic and heartrending literary debut for fans of Andre Aciman, Garth Greenwell, and Alan Hollinghurst.

When university student Ludwik meets Janusz at a summer agricultural camp, he is fascinated yet wary of this handsome, carefree stranger. But a chance meeting by the river soon becomes an intense, exhilarating, and all-consuming affair. After their camp duties are fulfilled, the pair spend a dreamlike few weeks camping in the countryside, bonding over an illicit copy of James Baldwin's Giovanni's Room. Inhabiting a beautiful natural world removed from society and its constraints, Ludwik and Janusz fall deeply in love. But in their repressive communist and Catholic society, the passion they share is utterly unthinkable.

Once they return to Warsaw, the charismatic Janusz quickly rises in the political ranks of the party and is rewarded with a highly-coveted position in the ministry. Ludwik is drawn toward impulsive acts of protest, unable to ignore rising food prices and the stark economic disparity around them. Their secret love and personal and political differences slowly begin to tear them apart as both men struggle to survive in a regime on the brink of collapse.

Shifting from the intoxication of first love to the quiet melancholy of growing up and growing apart, Swimming in the Dark is a potent blend of romance, post-war politics, intrigue, and history. Lyrical and sensual, immersive and intense, Tomasz Jedrowski has crafted an indelible and thought-provoking literary debut that explores freedom and love in all its incarnations.

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  1. Listening Length
    6 hours and 30 minutes
  2. Author
    Tomasz Jedrowski
  3. Narrator
    Will M. Watt
  4. Audible release date
    April 28, 2020
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    HarperAudio
  7. ASIN
    B07YLZY85N
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 6 hours and 30 minutes
Author Tomasz Jedrowski
Narrator Will M. Watt
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date April 28, 2020
Publisher HarperAudio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B07YLZY85N
Best Sellers Rank #27,117 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#9 in LGBTQ+ Historical Fiction (Audible Books & Originals)
#132 in LGBTQ+ Literary Fiction (Books)
#258 in Coming of Age Fiction (Audible Books & Originals)

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
3,730 global ratings
One of the Best Books I've Read in Years and Shipping was Fantastic!
5 Stars
One of the Best Books I've Read in Years and Shipping was Fantastic!
I had already read this book when I purchased it from AMAZON, but I wanted a nice hardcover copy for my library. It is an amazing book and one of my favorites in the past few years. Jedrowski's first novel (from what I can gather about him at least) has gorgeous prose, an incredible story, and social relevance.As far as shipping, I have no issues. I've received "NEW" books from Amazon and independent sellers that came in near-tatters. This book was shipped perfectly and I couldn't be happier!
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Top reviews from the United States

FT
5.0 out of 5 stars a beautiful love letter
Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2024
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A beautiful love letter of a first love, a love feared, but inexplicable and undeniable. The writing is deep, relatable and full of love. It’s a wonderful first novel and a story necessary in the lgbt line up.
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R. M. Ettinger
4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyed
Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2022
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Clearly, you can write a book about what I didn't remember (or paid attention to) regarding Poland in the early '80s.

I liked 'Swimming in the Dark'. I didn't love it. It moved along a good clip, as I finished it in one sitting. I liked the characters but I never felt completely attached to them either. I think part of this was, Ludwik and Janus didn't seem fully attached to each other.

I felt how they connected was beautiful, yet how to maintain that was tricky - for them and for the reader. Navigating a relationship in a communist government could be construed as a metaphor for the barriers to any relationship, let alone your first one.

Characters develop, so that is fine. Few are stagnant, but most of them have no clear conclusion. While, that is indeed life, it can make for a frustrating read.

I wasn't sure why Ludwik even wrote to Janus in the first place, or why the inclusion of short tale of Ludwik's childhood friend even was included, other than to talk about Jews in communist Europe. There is no connection later to this, but, I might be quibbling.

The book is well constructed and easy to read. It held my attention, and in today's fiction, sometimes that is the best thing that can be said.
2 people found this helpful
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Girolamo
5.0 out of 5 stars This guy is something else!
Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2021
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As the teacher of a course that deals, in part, with the rhythm and movement of prose, I was already intrigued in the first couple of pages of this small novel by just how inviting and engaging its prose was. By its third page, I'd stopped reading to investigate who might have done such a splendid job of translating the young Polish author's original into English.

Well, NOBODY did! He did it himself, right from the get-go; he wrote it in English - which just happens to be his own FIFTH language!! (Now, how does that work exactly? How can it even be the case?) The English prose is not competent, not adequate, not merely good - it's beautiful: there's not a poor or dull sentence in it anywhere - and I've read it twice.

The story itself is a gut-punch, and a hard one at that. The novel has 4-5 pages of blissful happiness when two young, very poor gay guys find themselves in each other and go camping. The rest of the book is about their trying to find ways just to survive and be themselves in those last wretched years of the Soviet control of Poland. Because the story itself is so convincing and the language's rhythm and flow so engaging, there's no partial investment in this story; if you're there with them at all, you're there 100% - which makes the experience of reading it better and the realities it depicts worse. READER: be advised!

I consider the book something of a minor miracle. I don't know that it's "perfect" (whatever that might mean, exactly), but it's so good that what I feel most towards it (and its author) is gratitude. Of the many good things art can do for us, reminding us that there's still more possible than we'd imagined is, for me, the best one. The author said in an interview that he'd taught himself English because, while he didn't "need" it at the time, he wanted to have it as his 'special' language, one he could escape to - and in.

All I can say to that is how very glad I am that he's not keeping it for himself anymore!
12 people found this helpful
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Sean Kelley
5.0 out of 5 stars Must read book!
Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2023
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I recently read "Swimming in the Dark: A Novel" and was completely moved by this beautiful story. The author, Tomasz Jedrowski, transports the reader to 1980s Poland, where we follow the life of Ludwik, a young man who falls in love with his classmate Janusz. Despite the societal pressures and political turmoil of the time, their love persists, and the novel explores the complexities of their relationship.

Jedrowski's writing is so vivid and descriptive, I felt like I was right there with Ludwik as he navigated the challenges of being gay in a repressive society. The characters were so well-developed and their struggles were relatable and heart-wrenching. I found myself rooting for Ludwik and Janusz every step of the way.

Overall, "Swimming in the Dark" is a powerful and moving novel that will stay with me for a long time. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a thought-provoking and emotionally resonant read.
3 people found this helpful
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Blue in Washington (Barry Ballow)
5.0 out of 5 stars Poignant and affecting
Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2020
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This is a beautifully written story that serves as a stark reminder of how repressive social and political mores have found it convenient to destroy human happiness when people perceived as outliers are involved. In this case, the story revolves around two young gay men in Poland before the Solidarity uprising. Any deviation from the shakey orthodoxy of the moment was suspect and not to be tolerated. In fact, personal growth/happiness/professional progress is all dependent on finding sponsors in authority who can provide protection and openings to privilege. Merit and talent are not especially important and deviation from norms is toxic and instantly punished.

The two principal characters of the novel struggle to keep a budding relationship alive while knowing that the odds against them are overwhelming. One of them will eventually succumb to the pressure and the other will choose exile when the hypocrisy and unfairness of times become intolerable.

The language of the short novel is rich and evocative. The characters and their individual situations are easy for the reader to relate to. A sad but beautiful story.

Ironically, I read this book during a week when the presidential administration elect in the U.S. announced the appointment of an openly gay man to a cabinet position. In that announcement, much was made by the President-elect about the nominees partner/spouse and the warmth and supportiveness of the relationship between the two. A stark contrast to the time and dilemma of the men in "Swimming in the Dark."
8 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Isabella
5.0 out of 5 stars leitura necessária!
Reviewed in Brazil on March 5, 2024
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que livro meus amigos, tanto pelo contexto historico, pela narrativa e o enredo, como o livro é leve e te faz mergulhar nele muito profundamente
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Carlos Gil
5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente
Reviewed in Mexico on April 18, 2023
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Muy buen libro e historia. Lo terminé en dos sentadas, no lo poda dejar !
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martin h.
5.0 out of 5 stars A thoroughly engrossing story, beautifully told
Reviewed in Canada on December 28, 2021
Verified Purchase
Being gay in the 80's was always going to be hard, no matter where you were. And coming of age at that time was even harder as one came to terms with the hatred, stigma and fear that went along with it. The author reveals such a struggle in finely crafted detail, and the harshness of that struggle in the bitter world of Eastern Europe was a revelation that thoroughly captured the imagination, albeit uncomfortably. The reader is placed at the heart of a cold, dark place where anger and fury at how the world works so determinedly to crush ordinary people's hopes, dreams and simple pleasures was an all too natural reaction, put so clearly on display in this splendid book.
2 people found this helpful
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Ilias P
5.0 out of 5 stars Riktigt bra bok.
Reviewed in Sweden on April 13, 2024
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Köpte boken mest för att jag var intresserad av gaylivet i Polen de senaste decennierna. Blev positivt överraskad av att hur författaren hade valt att kombinera beskrivningen av gaylivet med huvudpersonens inre process och beslut. Boken är lättläst och man njuter verkligen av att följa berättelsen. Väldigt bra skrivet med bra tempo och fint avslut. Kan varmt rekommendera den, i synnerhet om man är intresserad av HBTQ-litteratur.
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Marius K.
5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely detailed and nice to read.
Reviewed in Germany on February 21, 2024
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One of the books I read the fastest. Jedrowski writes with such detailed descriptions that I felt easily immersed on the history and curious to know what’s happening next. It was a short one but well done! I hope to read more of his work in the future.
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